New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says that getting bumped from the main stage at Tuesday’s GOP presidential debate in Milwaukee has resulted in campaign donations flowing in from people upset with the development.
“We’ve raised more money,” Mr. Christie said in an interview that aired Monday on Fox News’ “The Kelly File.” “People really are angry that I was excluded from the main stage, and they’ve been sending in contributions online saying … we want to give you some money now because we feel like this [hasn’t] been fair to you.”
Mr. Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who both were on the main stage for the first three debates, will participate in the earlier, undercard debate Tuesday in Milwaukee because they did not meet the polling requirements to qualify for the main stage.
Mr. Christie said people want to see candidates “tested” when they’re running for president “because they know the presidency [is] an enormous test every day.”
“And so what I’ve said to people is, I don’t want this to be easy and I never thought it would be,” he said. “So I’m going to fight real hard, [because] I want to be president. … I’m not doing this because somebody told me I should, or I thought that it was something I had to do.”
“I’m doing this [because] I want to be president,” Mr. Christie said. “And so if you do, you go and you fight, and I think it’s got to be humbling. The whole process is humbling.”
“It is — it’s very humbling … and to ask people for their vote and their support and have [them] not say yes right away,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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